The Hills are Alive

Rylann liked this dress so much, that no extra incentives (ahem, chocolate) were necessary for her to endure my picture taking. Most of the time she was a happy blur, but here are some shots that came out okay.

Warning, product plug ahead....

The dress came via the zebronkey express from www.sweetbirdie.com!

Play time at the park

We had a fun day at the park and a short trip to the zoo today. Rylann showed Tristan exactly how things worked there, and Tristan was very eager to learn.

May I have this dance?

Last week, Tristan met his great-grandmother for the first time ever! She lives in Mexico, so visits are few and far between, but luckily Tristan was able to meet her right before she traveled with Tata to Aunt Paloma's graduation from Georgetown.

Dancing the afternoon away

Playing with Tata

Through the Eyes of a Three Year Old

Rylann loves to take pictures, but we did not love her playful recklessness when handling our camera. So, we bought her a pink camera, specifically for little kids. Drop it? It's okay! Swing it around by the wrist strap? No worries. Put in the bathtub to see whether it will float? Maybe not...but we do admire her scientific drive for experimentation.

So here are a few of her pictures, which we really enjoy because it shows her viewpoint of her world, at 39 inches high.

Catching Sterling in the act

Busted!

Look familiar?

A clue!

Splish, Splash!

We've been having some very strange weather lately. Cold one day, warm the next, etc., etc., so on and so forth. Well today was a HOT day, so hot, that I pulled out the ladybug sandbox and filled it with water for the kids to play in.

Rylann was thrilled, but Tristan was very cautious. He started off exploring from the outside of the pool and slowly made his way inside. Once there, he loved it! Maybe Rylann and Tristan will carry on the lifeguard legacy...

Vintage Rylann Video

At the time we purchased our video cameras, the reviews on it were good, no, great. Only now, when I'm having trouble uploading to the computer, do I look online for help and see many horrible reviews. Thanks people. Where were you when we needed you?

So anyway, in my struggles, I came across some old videos from when Rylann was a baby, just about Tristan's age. I was able to upload these to the internet (we had a different camera), so I wanted to share one that is very special to me. It has Rylann spending some time with her great-grandparents who have both since passed.

The Other Disneyland

So everybody knows the greatness that is Disneyland. Space Mountain, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Small World, etc., etc., etc. What many do not realize (or choose to ignore) is that there is another theme park right across the entry plaza, called Disney's California Adventure. It's more boardwalk carnival than theme park, so it gets hated upon regularly by Disney purists. However, it has it's own unique charm and has much to offer. Pssst.....they serve alcohol there!

So this blog entry is dedicated to our most recent visits to California Adventure, the Other Disneyland.

This is Tristan's first "real" merry-go-round ride. No more sitting on the sissy bench for him. Obviously, you can tell how thrilled he is in this picture.




Manny and Rylann pose in their spinning ladybug. Rylann would ride this all day if we let her.

Tristan loves to ride up on Daddy's shoulders. It's a sure-fire way to cheer him up.

Rylann with California Adventure Mickey. Note how she's copied his head tilt.

Stopping for a quick lunch, er, pacifier.

Tristan does not understand what all the fuss is about. And no, I'm not really screaming.